WhenToBird

Charadrius vociferus · Charadriidae

When Do Killdeers Arrive in Arkansas?

Adult Killdeer
Photo: Mason Holum, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Killdeers are in Arkansas all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early August, peak in late August (21% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of November. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 8.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 1-7early August
PeakAug 22-31late August
Fall back byNov 8-14the second week of November
FewestJan 15-21mid January

Best: late August. Here all year; numbers build from early August and fall back by the second week of November. Peak: on about 21% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 8.4% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.1% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.9% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.6% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.0% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.4% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 14% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 14% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 15% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.4% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.3% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.7% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.9% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 13% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 16% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 20% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 22% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 18% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 17% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 17% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 18% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 18% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 18% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 16% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 6404 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Arkansas that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Woodruff CountyBest early March · 12 checklists that week, 377 in all76%
  2. Clay CountyBest mid October · 14 checklists that week, 871 in all72%
  3. Poinsett CountyBest mid July · 16 checklists that week, 661 in all71%
  4. Prairie CountyBest early September · 12 checklists that week, 889 in all70%
  5. Desha CountyBest early August · 10 checklists that week, 756 in all68%
  6. Lafayette CountyBest late October · 13 checklists that week, 352 in all63%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Upper PondBenton County, best the second week of November · 43 checklists that week, 2,250 in all99%
  2. Sunset LakeSaline County, best late September · 24 checklists that week, 900 in all94%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Killdeer is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 18% of 10807 checklists7 am: 13% of 27761 checklists8 am: 12% of 30943 checklists9 am: 13% of 26975 checklists10 am: 13% of 21989 checklists11 am: 13% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 12% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 12% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 13% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 13% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 12% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 13% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 14% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January8.4%9.1%7.9%7.6%
February11%9.0%7.4%14%
March14%14%13%15%
April13%12%13%11%
May11%12%12%9.4%
June9.3%8.7%9.9%13%
July12%13%14%14%
August16%18%20%21%
September22%18%17%17%
October17%18%18%18%
November16%15%16%13%
December13%12%13%11%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives early February, 24 weeks earlier than Arkansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late July, 1 week earlier than Arkansas
  • Kansas: arrives the second week of February, 23 weeks earlier than Arkansas
  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks late August

Common questions

When do Killdeers arrive in Arkansas?
Killdeers are in Arkansas all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early August, peak in late August (21% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of November. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 8.1% of checklists.
When do Killdeers leave Arkansas?
Killdeers never fully leave Arkansas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of November, but some are still reported in every week, about 8.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Killdeer in Arkansas?
The Killdeer is reported most often in late August, on about 21% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Killdeers seen most often?
By county, Woodruff County, Clay County, and Poinsett County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Killdeer (counties with at least 200 checklists).